People DO tend to hate those who are do gooders, though. Bono is seen as a show-off for his AIDS/extreme poverty work and perhaps annoying for his insistence that countries/people contribute to the cause. The tax issue--and the fact that no one knows exactly how much of his own money Bono actually donates--certainly doesn't help matters.

Personally, I respect the guy immensely and have never felt the tax issue was really that big of a deal. Countries--including Ireland--have made millions off of U2 through taxes and other means. I'd sooner condemn the thieving politicians who get away with not paying the same tax rate as other citizens than Bono.

The top rate of income tax for high earners in Ireland is 48%. No wonder U2 don't fancy paying that on all their income.

Politicians who impose high taxes like that on wealth creators really are scumbags. The former Labour government put up the top rate of tax to 50% in the UK.

I'm all for taxing the wealthy, but 48% is just absurd. I don't know, though, that U2 necessarily moved their operations only for tax reasons. I'm thinking there were other reasons behind the move.

I definitely think tax was the only thing on their mind. For decades Ireland offered generous tax reliefs on artists' royalties, and during that time U2 never felt the need to move their affairs off-shore, but as soon as they were ended by the government, U2 set up in Holland.

Hmm, interesting. How much of a tie do they even still have to Ireland? Far as I know, Bono and Edge don't live there anymore; not sure about the others. If they don't have much of a tie to their homeland, that (along with the tax issue) would be an incentive to set up shop elsewhere.

Hmm, interesting. How much of a tie do they even still have to Ireland? Far as I know, Bono and Edge don't live there anymore; not sure about the others. If they don't have much of a tie to their homeland, that (along with the tax issue) would be an incentive to set up shop elsewhere.

They still have mansions in posh areas of Dublin, and I think that some portion of their business empire is still based in Ireland. I don't know whether they pay any income tax in Ireland. Maybe only on a portion of their income. But let's face it, when a government imposes that kind of tax rate on high earners it's inevitable that many geographically mobile individuals are going to get itchy feet. The socialists in France are going to put up the top rate of tax to 75%, so, unsurprisingly, many wealthy French are looking to relocate to the UK.

Anyways, I've always figured U2 are rock group first and foremost. They are paid musicians and performers, and that is all they are expected to do as such. Their advocacy, charities, political positions, etc are secondary to their music, and it's commendable that they do anything at all rather than just sit on their millions. Yeah, there's hypocrisy like anything else, but I think the good outweighs the bad.